"Don't worry, Mother. I can't hide away from everyone forever."
Song Tingyue shook her head.
"Besides, it is an honor for the royal family to allow me to retire in the General's Mansion. I should personally pay my respects to His Majesty for the New Year; otherwise, it would be disrespectful."
The matriarch nodded in satisfaction and then said...
"You have a personal relationship with the eldest prince. It would be good to meet him at the New Year's banquet. I heard that he is going to marry a daughter of the Ji family. Among the princes, he and the crown prince are the most likely to inherit the throne."
Song Tingyue lowered her head.
She has been meeting with Pei Feng privately quite frequently lately, without the knowledge of the matriarch.
The matriarch wanted the Song family to side with Pei Feng or Pei Xuan, but... that was not her goal.
“Grandmother, Consort Rong is also very favored by the Emperor and is currently very powerful in the harem.”
The matriarch shook her head: "Consort Rong is favored, but Pei Jin is of low status and not worthy of being entrusted with anything."
The matriarch glanced at Song Tingyue, sighed heavily, and lowered her voice.
“I know that you were heartbroken and tried to kill yourself because of the marriage alliance, and Pei Jin saved you. You are grateful to him, but the struggle for the throne is no joke. One wrong step could lead to your annihilation.”
Her voice carried a mixture of pity and authority.
"Sister Yue, don't forget, you are a member of the Song family."
Song Tingyue clenched her fists, her head bowed, making it impossible to read her expression.
After a long silence, he spoke softly.
"Grandmother, rest assured, everything I do is naturally for the Song family."
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Gyoshiin Temple has also begun preparing New Year's gifts.
Jiang Wan didn't have many people to socialize with. One cartload of New Year's gifts was sent to Old Madam Sheng, and another cartload was sent to the Ji residence.
At the same time, he also specially sent a letter to his cousin Ji Huaichuan.
Every year before Lunar New Year's Eve, the patrol battalion would clear the streets and alleys and inspect places such as teahouses and restaurants. This year, Ji Huaichuan was in charge.
During the Dayong reign, government agencies were established to sell wine, and merchants were strictly prohibited from brewing wine privately. However, many taverns would secretly make wine yeast and then have singing girls smuggle the wine to sell for profit.
This practice becomes even more prevalent during festivals and holidays, and few taverns can withstand the inspections.
On the day the Donglai people met with the spies of Dayong, Pei Xi happened to be at the tavern, the name of which Jiang Wan still remembered.
She asked Ji Huaichuan to focus his investigation on this family.
Before long, news spread that the tavern had been found guilty of illegally brewing yeast, and many of the singing girls who sold the wine were convicted.
This story was passed down by word of mouth among the people.
On this day, as agreed, Jiang Wan personally delivered the New Year's gifts to the East Palace.
Pei Tang came to greet her and told her that Pei Xi was also there today, and that Pei Xuan was talking to him in the back garden.
This is certainly not a coincidence.
Ever since discovering the special relationship between Song Tingyue and Consort Rong, Pei Xuan has turned his attention to Consort Rong and her son.
However, it cannot be determined whether it was Consort Rong or Pei Jin who joined forces with Song Tingyue.
Consort Rong possessed an air of grandeur and appeared ambitious, but in reality, she was extremely meticulous and shrewd.
Pei Jinqian is polite and courteous, and has lived a very cautious life in recent years.
On the surface, neither of them had any interaction with Song Tingyue.
To confirm this matter, Pei Xuan specially invited Pei Xi to the Eastern Palace.
"This saddle is made of amethyst from the far north? My goodness! This is incredibly valuable!"
In the back garden, Pei Xi held a piece of purple jade saddle, his eyes shining, unable to put it down.
"Is this really going to be given to me?"
Overjoyed to receive Pei Xuan's affirmation, he stepped forward and hugged Pei Xuan's waist.
"Brother Crown Prince! You're so kind!"
"It's cold today, so I don't need to wear this yet. Once spring comes and it warms up, I'll immediately put on this saddle and take a ride around the capital! Just thinking about it makes me feel so proud!"
Pei Xi smiled broadly, muttering to himself.
"Last year, the Earl of Yong'an's family acquired a chestnut jade saddle and couldn't wait to show it off in front of me. This time, I'll definitely dazzle them..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard footsteps coming from ahead and looked up in surprise.
"Madam Jiang?"
Jiang Wan nodded to him: "I came to the East Palace to deliver New Year's greetings and specifically to pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Pei Xi stroked his beloved saddle, gazing at her thoughtfully.
Pei Xuan's arrogance and aloofness were well-known in the capital. Many beautiful noble ladies wanted to get close to the Crown Prince, but Pei Xuan was not interested in women, so they couldn't even get through the door.
Emperor Jingyuan and the Empress also worried about this matter, wondering what kind of Crown Princess they should find to catch Pei Xuan's eye.
Now, Jiang Wan, a woman from a high-ranking family, has caught Pei Xuanqing's eye, and he supports her in every way.
That's how it appears to outsiders, at least.
After chatting for a while, Pei Xuan got down to business in the pavilion.
"Did Madam Jiang come from the Ji residence? Has that matter been resolved?"
Jiang Wan replied, "Luckily I arrived early, and I did not fail in my mission. I begged my cousin to release the songstress named Yu Yao, but the others in the tavern will be in trouble. They will face at least two years in prison."
Pei Xi sat to the side, fiddling with the saddle.
Upon hearing the name of the tavern and the songstress, he suddenly looked towards Jiang Wan.
"Yuyao?"
His eyes widened: "You, you just said you went to save her?"
“That’s right.” Jiang Wan readily admitted, then frowned and said, “This is my private matter, so please don’t tell anyone else, Third Prince, so as not to implicate my cousin.”
Pei Xi nodded haphazardly, then couldn't help but ask, "Who sent you to save Yu Yao?"
Jiang Wan took a sip of tea, remaining silent.
"When entrusted with a task, one should not speak too much."
Pei Xi swallowed hard, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Jiang Wan made a show of it, then looked at Pei Xi and sighed.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but that person is of noble status. If others find out that he has an affair with a courtesan, it will be bad for his reputation.”
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